TECHNOFREAK #1 – Review

In TECHNOFREAK #1, available from American Mythology on August 25th, 2021, Jon Sherlok and his talking, robotic cat accept a case from an old “friend” to find the woman who broke his heart.

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The Details

• Written By: John Charles, Barry May
• Art By: Tom Newell
• Colors By: Tom Newell
• Letters By: Nikki Foxrobot
• Cover Art By: Tom Newell, John Charles
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: August 25, 2021

Was It Good?

It was oddly amusing.

Mashing up cyberpunk with detective noir is not an original concept, but the premise of the story is not its strong point. The winner here is the character work. In particular, Maurice the Cat steals the show… and may even be the star of the show in a sly way.

We’ll get to the story details in the next section, so we’ll stick with broad strokes here. Maurice is the narrator and self-aware exposition machine. Not only does Maurice narrate the story for the reader, but it says the exposition out loud to the other characters, making for some humorously clever moments and jabs.

The story is boilerplate detective noir. An opportunistic femme fatale goes missing, and the gangster-ish new boyfriend seeks the aid of the old boyfriend detective to find her. If you’re a fan of old(er) 20th Century detective stories, the setup will seem almost cliché. However, placing the story in the early 31st Century sets up the opportunity to take a satirical turn once we find the girlfriend.

It would be unfair to say this story is played for laughs or is jokey. It’s absurdist humor where the characters play their parts straight in situations that would be considered bizarre by any measure. And the test of any form of humor is whether or not the humor lands. Here, it certainly lands.

The writing is absurdist, droll humor that works, so the other consideration is whether or not the art holds up its half of the issue. Admittedly, the art is not as strong, and it lowers the quality of the book.

Newell’s linework is unrefined and inconsistent. Some panels look better than others, and the colors, while boldly eye-catching, don’t always stay within the lines. It’s not the worst art I’ve ever seen, but it’s generally disappointing when the best art in a comic is on the cover.

In all, this is an amusing future cyberpunk/detective noir satire with passable art.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

As noted above the story exposition and narration comes via Maurice, a robotic, talking cat.

We begin in London in the year 3026. Maurice introduces us to Jon Sherlok, a jaded and lonely Private Investigator (PI). One night, Sherlok is approached in the local bar by an old acquaintance, Neville Brady. Neville is a former friend and local gangster. Former because Neville stole away Sherlok’s girlfriend, Loretta.

Neville explains Loretta is missing and he needs Sherlok’s expert detecting skills to find her. Reluctantly, Sherlok agrees, and the odd trio tracks Loretta to the office building of Yuri Sakamoto, tech mogul. When Neville and Sherlok break into Sakamoto Industries, they find Yuri has been cloning scores of Lorettas for his personal pleasure.

Neville goes after Yuri in a jealous rage, fighting through cyborgs and all manner of security. Yuri calls Loretta to tell her they’re leaving (urgently) on an impromptu vacation. Sherlok catches up to Yuri and cuts off his escape when suddenly, Loretta learns Yuri was actually making vacation plans with a Loretta clone, made shorter to match Yuri’s diminutive stature.

We conclude the issue with Loretta slyly making her way back down the hierarchy of jilted lovers, Neville concluding two heads are better than one, and Sherlok choosing not to learn from past mistakes.

Final Thoughts

TECHNOFREAK #1 is an amusing and satirical take on the cyberpunk/detective noir mashup. The writing is self-aware to the point of humorous absurdity, and Maurice the cat steals the show. However, the art is in significant need of improvement.

Score: 7/10